Bed spring construction



Oct. 7, 1958 E. FREY BED SPRING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 29, 1957 INVENTOR. LOUIS ELLIOTT FREY "Mew jmmrzy I United States Patent @fiice 2,854,674 I Patented Oct. 7, 1958 BED SPRING CGNSTRUCTION Louis Elliott Frey, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application July 29, 1957, Serial No. 674,684

Claims. (Cl. 5-260) This invention relates to a bed spring construction.

lt'is the principal object of my invention to provide a bed spring in which the edge of the spring will not become deformed from the weight of persons seated upon it.

This problem is particularly acute in the case of hotels and in the case of sofa-beds. In such cases, persons will repeatedly seat themselves so that their full Weight falls upon one of the edges of the bed spring, most often adjacent the center of one of the longitudinal edges. This problem has existed for many years and no one has yet devised a single, effective and economical solution.

A bed spring which is constructed in the conventional manner is provided with a rectangular upper frame member which extends around the top edge of the spring, and within which the coils are mounted. The weight of persons seated on the edge of the bed is carried in part by this upper frame member, causing it to be depressed. Upon its depression, it takes a set and becomes permanently deformed or bowed downwardly. Over a period of time, the deformation increases untilthe side of the bed clearly shows an undesirable and unattractive saggy appearance. The deformation further detracts from the comfort of persons sleeping on the bed.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to overcome this fault by providing a bed spring embodying an upper frame construction which will not take a set, nor become permanently deformed or bowed, regardless of how many or how often persons may be seated upon it.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such a bed spring which is capable of being manufactured and sold without substantially increased difiiculty of manufacture or expense over comparable bed springs of conventional manufacture.

In essence, my invention contemplates a bed spring construction which embodies a rectangular upper frame construction which is stronger and more resilient than those now in use and which is capable of permanently resisting deformation. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I achieve this result by incorporating into the upper frame construction a reinforcing element comprising an edge spring which extends around the entire upper peripheral edges of the bed spring and which is held in a substantially horizontal position.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide a bed spring construction having all of the advantages and benefits set forth above. My invention comprises such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that the frame is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l is a perspective view of one corner of a bed spring embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the edge spring; Fig. 3 is atop plan view of a portion of the edge spring,

upper frame member and coils, showing how the edge spring is interwoven and' how the members are attached;

Fig. 4 is a topplan view of a'bed spring embodying my invention, with the cover and padding mostly broken away.

A preferred embodiment which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises a bed spring 10, having a plurality of coils- 11, which are supported on base members l2. 'Bed'spri'ngs which are constructedin accordance with my invention may be of the open coil type or the box spring type. The base members 12 may be formed of wood or metal, as desired. 'In the case of a box spring, the entire assemby and framework are customarily enclosed within a clothcover and padding is provided, particularly around the top. This :padding is conventional and is not shown in the drawings in order topermit a clear illustration of the details of mechanical construction. The individual-coilsll are conventionally secured to each other by suitable tying means 13, which may be coil springs, wire or cord.

The upper frame construction of my bed spring includes a rectangular upper frame member 14 which extends around the periphery of the bed spring 10. In addition to the upper fiame member 14, I provide'an'edge spring 15, which also extends aroundthe entire periphery of the bed spring '10. This edge'spring 15 is preferably a sinuously corrugated spring formed by bending a length ofwire upon itself to provide a plurality of closely disposed undulations, forming oppositely facing loops. Each loop comprises tworsides which extend substantially parallel to each other and transversely to the upper frame member 14. The loops are all substantially equal in both length and width and are disposed closely adjacent to each other, one of 'thesides'of each loop forming one of the sides of each adjacent oppositely facing loop. Each loop has a closed'end, with the closedends of the inwardly facingloops being disposed directly adjacent to the upper frame member 14 and the closed ends of the outwardly facing loops being disposed substantially 'inwardly from the upper frame member 14 and partially overlyingthe area containing'the coils 11. The Wire is tempered in'th'e undulating shape and is also given an upward how, so that its center portion normally tends to be higher than its ends.

With my construction, I interweave the upper frame member 14 through the undulations of the edge spring 15, so that it extends over one side and under the other side of each loop around the entire periphery of the bed spring it). The coils 11 which are adjacent the periphery are secured to the frame member 14 and to the edge spring 15 by clips 16 or other suitable fastening means. It will be noted that the edge spring 15 extends inwardly from the frame member 14 to partially overlie the peripheral coils 11.

When the edge spring 15 is clipped to the upper frame member 14 and to the outside row of coils 11, it is forced into and held in a substantially straight horizontal line, with the center bow being forced downwardly. The spring naturally tends, however, to return to its former position with a resulting tendency of its center to move upwardly. Thus, when downward pressure is exerted upon the edge spring 15 by the Weight of persons seated upon the bed, it provides a strong resistance to further downward movement or deformation.

The individual undulations or loops of the edge spring 15 also act like a series of small springs which absorb any pressure which may be exerted between the coils 11. In a conventional bed spring, the area between the coils 11 is unprotected and if a strong pressure is applied, such as by a person kneeling on the edge of the bed, the upper frame member is deformed in the area between the coils 11. With my construction, this will not occur because the 3 closelyspacedshort undulations or loops of the edge spring extend transversely to the edge of the mattress and to the direction of the deforming movement. They thus provide added resilience which can absorb far more downward pressure than? the conventional single length upper frame member. The grainof the wire from which the edge spring 15 is formed extends transversely to the direction of deforming movement, to provide further resistance to deformation.

In use, the upperlframe construction will yield if sufficient pressure is applied to it in the form of the weight of persons .seated upon the edge of the bed. However, due to its permanently resilient construction and natural tendency to move upwardly, it will resist permanent downward deformation. Upon the release of pressure by persons rising from the bed, the upper frame members will return to their former horizontal position and shape. They will not take a set and will not become permanently deformed or bowed downwardly, regardless of the amount or duration of pressure applied.

. My bedspring construction is accordingly capable of use for an extended period of time without the edges sagging, thus effectively prolonging the life of the spring. As previously stated, the advantages of my invention are of particular importance and benefit in the hotel and studio bed field, in which the bed and springs receive the maximum amount of wear and abuse.

I claim:

1. A bad spring having a frame, resilient load support ing means disposed within said frame, said bed spring having. an upper frame member extending; around its upper peripheral edges, and an edge spring reinforcing said upper frame member, said edge spring comprising a sinuously corrugated spring made of wire and formed to have adjacent oppositely facing loops,-each of said loops comprising two sides which extend substantially parallel to each other and substantially transversely to said upper frame member, said loops being substantially equal to each other in length and width, one of the sides of each of said loops forming one of the sides of each adjacent oppositely facing loop, said edge spring being interwoven with said upper frame member so that said upper frame member extends through each of said loops.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, each of said loops having a closed end, the closed ends of the inwardly fac- .4 ing loops being disposed directly adjacent to said upper frame member and the closed ends of the outwardly facing loops being disposed substantially inwardly from said upper frame member and partially overlying said resilient load supporting means.

3. A bed spring having a frame, resilient load supporting means disposed within said frame, said bed spring having an upper frame member, and an edge spring reinforcing said upper frame member, said edge spring comprising a sinuonsly corrugated spring made of wire and formed to have adjacent oppositely facing loops, each of 'said loops comprising two sides which extend substantially parallel to each other and substantially transversely to said upper frame member, said loops being substantially equal to each other in length and width, one of the sides of each of said loops forming one of the sides of each adjacent oppositely facing loop, said upper frame member extending through a plurality of said loops.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3, said edge spring being normally bowed upwardly, said edge spring being held in a substantially horizontal position by said upper frame member, said edge spring urging said upper frame with increased resistance to downward deformation.

5. A bed spring having a frame, resilient load support-/ ing means disposed Within said frame, said bed spring; having an upper frame member, and an edge spring rein.- forcing said upper frame member, said edge spring comprising a sinuously corrugated spring formed to have adjacent oppositely facing loops, each of said loops com prising two sides which extend substantially parallel to each other and substantially transversely to said upper frame member, said loops being substantially equal to each other in width, one of the sides of each of said loops forming one of the sides of each adjacent oppositely facing loop, a plurality of the loops of said edge spring being secured to said upper frame member.

References Cited in the file of this patent Stackhouse July 22, 1941 

